


Follow me if you want to live...

by stonegirl77



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not Actually Unrequited Love, reader is Pepper Pott's sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 08:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13783695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonegirl77/pseuds/stonegirl77
Summary: For a prompt whose source I've lost: Follow me if you want to live. I’m just kidding, but do come with me.





	Follow me if you want to live...

**Author's Note:**

> Another in the "I found this lying around on my hard drive series"
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Stark always threw crazy parties, and this years’ New Year’s Eve was no exception. 

People I used to only read about in magazines wandered about, drinks in hand, talking to one another. Every now and again, I’d hear a shout, look over, and see someone greeting a long-lost friend. Or at least, that was how it seemed. For all I knew, they’d seen each other last week for brunch.

I stood above it all, literally, at the top of a flight of steps, leaning against the metal railing and watching the party go by. This was so far from my scene, from my instruments and my computer. And yet, when Tony Stark invited you to a party, you went. 

Or at least, that’s what I’d thought this morning. Now I was wishing I could speed up time so I could go home. There was no one else here I knew. My other colleagues from the lab had either not received an invitation or had simply not come. Doctor Banner was around here somewhere, but I wasn’t going to bug an Avenger when he was having fun. 

_Besides_ , I thought with a smile, finding the familiar head of curly hair talking with Thor and Dr. Foster, _If anyone deserves to have some fun in this lifetime, it’s Dr. B._

“Everything ok up here?” A voice said behind me, and I turned, staring up at Captain America. 

“Oh,” I said, intelligently. I’d met the Captain before - perks of working in Doctor Banner’s lab - but we’d barely spoken much. “Hi, Captain Rogers.”

“It’s Steve,” Captain America said, coming to stand next to me and survey the crowd himself.

“Oh,” I repeated. “Hi, Steve.” 

He chuckled. “Hi, Dr. Potts.”

“That’s hardly fair,” I protested. “If I’m calling you by your first name, you have to call me by mine.”

Another chuckle. “Y/N.”

I nodded, satisfied. I did like Captain America. Even though Tony always complained about him, he seemed like a good guy. Tony just liked to complain. 

“So, what are you doing up here?” I asked as we continued to lean against the railing. 

“Not really my scene,” Steve said, and I raised an eyebrow at him. “No, really,” he said, raising a hand. “Kid from Brooklyn, remember? I was never brought up to brush elbows with movie stars and tycoons.”

“Dr. B, Thor and Doctor Foster are here,” I put in.

“And they’re talking science so advanced I only understand one word in seven.” Steve made a face. “I’m working on my doctorate. But it’s taking time.”

“You’re what?” I asked, turning to actually face him. “What’s the concentration?”

“This one’s in astrophysics with an emphasis on how general relativity meshes with the new findings out of the Einstein-Rosen bridge,” Steve said. 

“This one?” I asked, having noted the beginning of the sentence.

“Lots of time when you can only sleep four hours a night.” Steve shrugged, as if getting multiple PhDs was just something he did to pass the time. Who knew? Maybe it was. A sudden shout and laughter had us both looking over the railing to where one sequin-clad woman was putting her arms around a guy in a suit. I didn’t recognise either of them. 

“Oh,” Steve said, pulling my attention back to him. “Before I forget, I bring a message from Tony.”

“Tony?” I looked out at the crowd briefly, seeing if I could spot him. “I haven’t seen him tonight.”

Steve made a face. “Yeah, he’s…” Steve shook his head. “Never mind. Not my story. Anyway. I’m supposed to tell you…” he trailed off, made another face, then stepped away from me, extending a hand, face suddenly somber. “Follow me if you want to live.”

I started to giggle. There really was no other response to Captain America, standing there, stone-faced, obviously only doing this for Tony’s amusement. “Ok.”

“I’m just kidding,” Steve said, breaking his act straight away, “But, please, come with me.”

“Ok,” I repeated. “Where are we going?” Steve turned on a heel and strode toward the elevator. 

“You’ll see.”

 

***

We stood in the elevator silently, Steve not even having to tell FRIDAY where to go. 

_Although he wouldn’t, if he’s taking me somewhere for Tony._ I continued thinking as the elevator dropped, then slowed. We were still near the top of the building, which meant either the Avengers’ personal quarters, or - the lift doors opened.

Tony’s lab.

Metallica played in the background as Steve and I stepped out and the doors whooshed closed behind us. 

“You know, I didn’t think she’d start laughing at you.” Tony’s voice came from the far side of a workbench, although I couldn’t see the man himself. 

“Why would you be surprised if a pretty girl laughs at me - it’s hardly something new,” Steve said.

“Steve,” I said, remembering exactly how tall he’d been as he’d grown up. And glossing over the pretty girl comment. “Also, shame on you, Stark.”

“Shame on me?” Tony’s head popped up from behind the workbench, followed by the rest of him. He was in shirtsleeves and tuxedo pants, no tie, no jacket. It looked like he’d got side-tracked getting dressed. I wonder what had distracted him. “It worked, didn’t it? You’re here.”

“You could have just asked me,” I said. 

“But the look on your face,” Tony said, snickering. “And on Cap’s.”

“I’m out, unless you need me,” Steve said.

“Enjoy the evening,” Tony said. “Say hi to Hill for me.”

“You know, everyone would come in here, if you wanted,” Steve said, already on his way out. As if he knew what the answer would be. “One by one, in small groups, whatever.”

Tony’s face twisted into something far less cheerful. “And stop them from having fun to say hi to little old me? No thanks, Cap. I’ll see them around.”

“Fine, Tony.” Steve turned in the elevator and waved at me as the doors closed. I had my hand up and waved back automatically. 

“So.” I said, turning back to the billionaire playboy philanthropist, my ex-college drinking buddy and current boss. “What’s up?”

Tony had come around the bench, followed by one of his bots. “I’m glad you came,” he said, not answering my question. His hands were at his elbows, unrolling his shirt and buttoning the cuffs at his wrists once more. “I thought you’d have somewhere else to be.”

“I’m a workaholic, Tony,” I said. “I spend all my time here at the lab. Or thinking about work. All my friends are here. Pepper’s off in Tokyo this year. So unless I was going to spend New Year’s on my own with Cedric, which is a bit melodramatic, even for me, I came.” I gestured down at myself, at the sparkly blue dress I’d worn. “I even dressed up.”

“So you did.” Tony was closer now, and I could see his gaze flick up and down the length of my body quickly before settling on my face once more. I was almost disappointed at the shortness of his scrutiny before I squashed the feeling. And besides - I was getting disappointed at Tony _not_ checking me out? What kind of nonsense was that? He was my boss. And my friend. “Pepper get that for you?”

I glanced down at the dress again, at the boat neck and the bare arms, the hem that hit just above my knees, then nodded. “Birthday present last year. She’s a good sister.”

I’d been the person who’d introduced Pepper and Tony. And the person who had held both of their hands after the mostly amicable breakup. 

“She is.” I glanced back at Tony, wondering what that tone had been. Something had been different about those two words. 

“You know, I did make an appearance at my party,” Tony said, hitching a hip up so he could sit on the workbench behind him. “At the very beginning of the night - you weren’t here yet.”

“I’m sorry I missed it,” I said, and was surprised to find I meant it. Tony working a crowd was a thing of art, something I could never hope to duplicate, but instead watched in awe. 

“Fifteen minutes later, and I can’t breathe and I’m headed down to my shop to fight off a panic attack.” I wanted to say something, to put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. But I knew better. That didn’t help. Tony didn’t want my pity, my concern. I just needed to let him talk it out. “Which sucks, because I wanted to introduce you to some people.” I frowned. “Your research into Barnes’ arm and the capacitors we’re using has other applications - SI doesn’t need _all_ the patents.”

“SI _gets_ all the patents,” I protested. “I work for SI.” This time I put a brief hand on Tony’s arm, making him look at me. “I work for you, Tony. Believe me, if I wanted to collaborate withs someone, I’d just do it.” 

He was looking at me. Looking at me, and I was very much afraid I recognised the expression on his face. I barged on. “And why aren’t you letting the team come in and say Happy New Year - you know they want to - they don’t see it as a burden.”

“So why did I have to ask Cap to come and get you?” Tony snarked.

“Because I assumed you were doing something important? Because I thought you were off talking to someone? Because I don’t have a ‘Tony wants to talk to me’ detector? No one has that, Tony. Not if you’re in your lab alone. Sometimes you have to ask for what you want.”

“You think?” Tony was standing again, taking a few steps closer, almost invading my space. 

“I do,” I said, heart beginning to speed. This was… was not what it looked like. Couldn’t be what it looked like. 

“In that case,” Tony said, taking another step forward, and this time, I matched it with one back. He tilted his head. “You know, you do look beautiful in that dress. I should give Pepper a raise.”

Pepper. My sister. 

She was the reason all of this couldn’t work. The reason I’d never contemplated more than friendship with Tony, once I’d introduced them. I’d done an Angelica Schuyler and retreated so my sister could be happy, buried my romantic feelings under my platonic ones so well that I forgot they were there for months on end. And now Tony was staring at me the same way he’d looked at Pepper.

“She knows, you know,” Tony continued, speaking softly, moving carefully, as if he was around some startled deer. 

And I felt like a startled deer, not sure whether to bolt or to freeze. Or, most terrifying of all, to close the gap, to press my lips to Tony’s and find out exactly what it would be like to have his arms wrap around me in passion. 

“What?” The question came out almost strangled. Tony chuckled. 

“About the fact that I fell for one Potts, then the other,” he said. I froze for one second, then two. Had he really just said what I thought he’d said? “She gave me the shovel talk already, don’t worry.”

“She what?” 

Tony smiled and, carefully, picked up one of my hands. “If you hurt my sister,” he said, obviously quoting, “I’ll use all of SI’s resources to put you somewhere you’ll truly regret.”

That… sounded like Pepper. 

“You know she’d call in SHIELD too,” I joked by reflex, and Tony’s hand tightened around mine. 

“She probably would,” he agreed, and lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently. 

“So…” he said. “I know this is a lot, all at once.”

“No kidding.” I didn’t know quite what to say, what to do with myself. 

“You should know that I don’t expect anything,” he continued. “If you don’t feel the same way, don’t think you could, if you want to remain friends, or if you want to resign from SI, all good.”

“What? I don’t,” I stepped closer to Tony, my turn to clutch his fingers in mine. “I don’t want to resign,” I said, whispering as I realised how close I truly was, almost crushing our hands between us. 

“You don’t?” Tony’s eyes were on mine now, questioning, and I decided enough was enough.

I was done pretending I didn’t have feelings for the amazing, flawed, perfect man in front of me. I was done worrying about what my sister had to say - although, it seemed like she already knew. I was in over my head. The only way out was through. 

“I don’t want to be just friends either,” I whispered, daring to put my free hand on Tony’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of him seeping through his button-down. 

“That’s…” Tony said, his own hand slipping onto my side and around my waist as he continued to stare at me. “That’s good.” 

I bumped my nose with his, scarcely having to lean forwards to do it. “I think so,” I said, grinning. 

And then his lips were on mine, kissing me even through my smile, and I was kissing back, hands around his neck, snaking together to pull him even closer, his arms around my middle, pulling me to him so we lined up from hip to shoulder. 

“I think,” Tony said between kisses, voice ragged, “I think we should,” kiss, “stay down here in the lab,” I kissed just under his jaw, and he inhaled, dipped his head, kissed me again, “ring in the New Year.”

“Sounds good,” I replied, then gasped as Tony’s mouth moved down my neck towards my collarbone. “Tony!” He’d nipped at my shoulder and I just about levitated. I pulled his head up towards mine again and kissed him, feeling the heat coursing through my body, his stubble under my fingers as I cradled his jaw, his forearm around my waist, still pulling me towards him. 

“Too rough?” he whispered into my ear, causing a shiver to travel all the way down my spine. I grinned, although he couldn’t see it, and nipped his earlobe, just once. I could feel his chuckle and suddenly his hands were on my waist and I was being lifted onto the workbench. Tony stood back a moment, looking me up and down. 

“I’m a lucky bastard,” he said, and I felt the blush rising to my cheeks, making them overheat. 

But the way he was stood there, shirt rumpled, hair a complete mess, lips flushed, eyes wild - I’d never even dreamed of having all that directed at me. “Me too,” I said, and he had his hands on me again, lips catching mine as his fingers raked down the fabric of my dress. 

“Lucky bastards together,” Tony said, and it was my turn to chuckle, the sound turning into another gasp as he caught my lower lip between his teeth and my higher functioning short-circuited.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on tumblr - I'm stonegirl77.tumblr.com


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